Architecture & design · 1928–2024
Fumihiko MakiarchitectJapanese Pritzker Prize–winning architect who earned his first master's degree at the Cranbrook Academy of Art in Bloomfield Hills.DETROIT / A living lexicon / ¼
Famous Detroiters
People who were born here, moved here or built their careers in Detroit: musicians, carmakers, athletes, writers, inventors, civil-rights leaders and a few notorious names. With their dates, their Detroit story and the places where they lived, worked and played, closed ones included.
- 1,949 famous people
- 516 Detroit places
- 13 fields
Hungarian ties 31 Detroiters with Hungarian ties →
Origin and citizenship
Field
Connection
Born in
A–Z (family name)
23 people
Clear filtersArchitecture & design · 1928–2024Fumihiko MakiarchitectJapanese Pritzker Prize–winning architect who earned his first master's degree at the Cranbrook Academy of Art in Bloomfield Hills.
Music · 1923–1976
Mukeshplayback singerBeloved Hindi film playback singer, the singing voice of Raj Kapoor, who died of a heart attack in Detroit in 1976 while on a North American concert tour.
Music · 1927–1999
Guy Mitchellpop singer, actorDetroit-born son of Croatian immigrants who became one of the top-selling pop singers of the 1950s with “Singing the Blues”.
Film & TV · 1923–2010Adele Maraactress, dancer, singerHighland Park-born dancer and actress of 1940s westerns and Sands of Iwo Jima, the daughter of Spanish immigrants, who started out in Xavier Cugat's show.
Press & broadcasting · 1923–2009Ed McMahonannouncer, TV host, actorJohnny Carson's announcer and sidekick for thirty years on The Tonight Show, born in Detroit.
Sports · 1928–1989Billy Martinbaseball manager, former second basemanCombative former Yankees star who briefly played for the Tigers in 1958 and, as their fiery manager from 1971 to 1973, led Detroit to an American League East title.Dick McGuirebasketball player and coachHall of Fame playmaking guard who closed his playing career with the Pistons and then coached the team for four seasons after their move from Fort Wayne to Detroit.
Comedy · 1922–2008Dick Martincomedian, television directorCo-host of Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In, who grew up in Detroit after his family moved there in the early 1930s.
Sports · 1925–2017Jack McCloskeybasketball executive"Trader Jack", the Pistons general manager who assembled the "Bad Boys" teams that won NBA championships in 1989 and 1990.Robert Moorestage, film and television director, actorDetroit-born director of the landmark The Boys in the Band (1968), five-time Tony nominee and Neil Simon's frequent collaborator.
Visual art · 1924–2021Charles McGeepainter, sculptor, teacherDetroit painter and sculptor who shaped the city's art scene for seven decades, from Gallery 7 to his giant Unity mural on 28 Grand.Joe MessinaguitaristDetroit-born jazz guitarist who became one of the most prolific Funk Brothers, playing on "Dancing in the Street" and hundreds of other Motown records.John Macurdyoperatic bassDetroit-born bass who sang at the Metropolitan Opera 1,001 times between 1962 and 2000 after starting out as a General Motors die and pattern maker.Naomi Long Madgettpoet, publisher, teacherPoet laureate of Detroit from 2001 and founder of Lotus Press (1972), which published generations of Black poets from Detroit.
Law · 1920–1987Wade H. McCreejudge, U.S. solicitor general, law professorHarvard-trained lawyer who made his career in Detroit, becoming the first Black judge on the Wayne County Circuit Court and the Sixth Circuit, then U.S. solicitor general.Billy Mitchelljazz tenor saxophonist, bandleaderDetroit-raised tenor saxophonist who led the Blue Bird Inn house band from 1951 to 1954, with Miles Davis as guest, before joining Dizzy Gillespie and Count Basie.Manuel Morounbusinessman, owner of the Ambassador BridgeDetroit-born son of Syrian Maronite immigrants who built a trucking empire and owned the Ambassador Bridge and, for years, the empty Michigan Central Station.
Politics · 1925–2006Maryann Mahaffeysocial work professor, city council presidentWayne State social work professor and democratic socialist who served on the Detroit City Council for 32 years (1974–2005), twice as its president, championing women's rights and the poor.Johnnie Mae Matthewssinger, songwriter, producer, label owner"Godmother of Detroit Soul", the first African American woman to own and run a record label, whose Northern Recording Company launched the Distants and Bettye LaVette.Edward H. McNamaramayor of Livonia, Wayne County executiveLivonia mayor turned Wayne County executive (1987–2002) who mentored a generation of Detroit-area Democrats and built the airport terminal that bears his name.Bruce Martynhockey radio broadcasterRadio voice of the Detroit Red Wings from 1964 to 1995, famous for his call "He shoots, he scores!"Bill Munceyunlimited hydroplane racerDetroit-area hydroplane racer, "Mr. Unlimited", who won a record 62 races and eight Gold Cups after starting out on the Detroit River.Harold McKinneyjazz pianist, composer, bandleader, educatorDetroit pianist, composer and teacher, a committed bebopper who played with visiting giants and co-founded both Tribe and the Rebirth jazz-education organization.The lexicon keeps growing. Every entry lists its sources at the bottom. Dates were checked against Wikidata and Wikipedia. The texts are our own. Famous people's places among the sights ↗
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